Practical guidance for three rarely discussed challenges in oncology

In this month’s newsletter, I’ll spotlight three unique video series you may not have already found on my website (www.janetabrahm.com).  Each addresses one of the following topics:

1. Recognizing and responding to patients’ spiritual concerns
2. Supporting patients with dependent children
3. Compassion fatigue and burnout

To create the first two, I interviewed expert clinicians, asking them to talk about challenges I have seen oncology clinicians face but for which practical guidance can be difficult to find. In the third series, I am interviewed for my expert opinion.

To make the videos easy to watch, I’ve organized them into short, focused segments of just 3–5 minutes each, allowing you to find the topics most relevant to your practice quickly. The links to each series are included at the end of the brief descriptions, below.

1. Recognizing and Responding to Patients’ Spiritual Concerns

In this video series, I interview Dr. Rev. Gloria White-Hammond. Dr. Rev. White-Hammond a retired pediatrician, co-pastor of Bethel AME Church in Boston, and the Swartz Resident Practitioner in Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School. She uniquely bridges faith and medicine, and in this conversation offers practical guidance on such topics as honoring diverse beliefs and practices, supporting hope, and navigating conversations about faith with sensitivity and respect.

You can find the videos along with additional articles on the topic here.

2. Supporting Patients with Dependent Children

In this series, I interview Dr. Anna (Nina) Muriel. Dr. Muriel is a child psychiatrist, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of “Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent Is Sick.” Together, we discuss initiating conversations about a parent’s diagnosis, helping parents respond to their children’s difficult questions, and supporting families throughout the course of illness with honesty, compassion, and age-appropriate communication.

The link to the videos is here.

3. Addressing Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

In this discussion hosted by The After Cancer, Dr. Tommy Bischoff and I explore how clinicians can recognize the signs of burnout, practical steps they can take to address it, and the important distinction between compassion and empathy when caring for patients.

You can find the video along with other relevant information on the topic here.

I hope you’ll find these resources useful in your practice. As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback. In September, I plan to send a brief survey to learn what topics you would most like to see addressed in future newsletters. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to respond. I look forward to learning what would be most valuable to you.